​Father Mark was born in Chicago, IL in 1967. He grew up in Sauk Village, IL and attended the Sts. Constantine and Helen Cathedral in Merrillville, IN. In 1985, he enrolled in Hellenic College in Brookline, MA to pursue a degree in Religious Studies/Pre-Theology. Upon completing his undergraduate degree, he matriculated into the Master of Divinity program at Holy Cross School of Theology, also in Brookline, MA.